He did it – Peter Sagan successfully defended his reign as the world road race champion in Doha today with another stunning sprint finish after a race defined by desert winds. The select group formed with more than 170km to race in a tough crosswind section, a group that contained no less than five Tinkoff riders, including Peter. The result ensures that team owner, Oleg Tinkov, bows out of the sport of cycling with some fabulous results after years of support!

Once formed, the front group caught the day’s early break with a long way to go and held off the chase behind after the peloton had splintered into several groups on the road. Peter initially had brother Juraj, as well as Michael Kolar for company before Juraj got dropped in the winds. Also making the split was Great Britain’s Adam Blythe, and Italy’s Daniele Bennati in a group dominated by the Belgians.

After the finish, an ecstatic Peter told us: “I can’t believe it – I’m still in shock. At the decisive point in the race in the crosswinds I was the last one to get in the first group. Then it was about doing the sprint – I felt it was a little bit of a headwind so I had to come from the back. I was also lucky that Nizzolo didn’t close me, if he closed me for sure we crashed as I wasn’t going to brake.

“It’s unbelievable. I had the biggest fan group here from Slovakia and I felt it – thank you everybody for that, it gave me a lot of energy today. Thanks to my family who also travelled here, my father and my wife, and to my brother who was also in the front group but he wasn’t able to get back on after going back for bottles in the crosswinds. And thanks to Michael Kolar who did unbelievable work for me, he was always with me and supported me. I’m so happy.”

The win crowns a superb season for Peter, finishing the year as World Champion, European Champion and the top ranked rider in the UCI WorldTour. With just one race remaining, the victory caps a strong finish to the team’s final season, and means that Oleg Tinkov ends his time in cycling on the highest note after years of support. Thanks goes to Slovakia for their support at the World Championships and to everybody involved all season in making this final year one to remember.

The Race: Here's the story from winner Amalie Dideriksen's Boels-Dolmans team.

Boels-Dolmans Cycling Team scored its 41st win of the season in spectacular fashion. Amalie Dideriksen won the 2016 UCI Road World Championships in Doha, Qatar on Saturday to pull on the rainbow jersey. The second-year elite has ridden with Boels-Dolmans since she moved up from the junior ranks following her back-to-back road world titles in the junior women’s category. “I think it’s a surprise for everyone,” said the Dane, immediately following her win. “I had dreamt of a medal or to win this one day, but now, at 20…”

The 134-kilometre race that determined the new world champion unfolded predictably. An early but easily controlled breakaway dominated the first half of the race. Relentless attacks by the Dutch, including Boels-Dolmans duo Chantal Blaak and Ellen van Dijk, dominated the second of the race.

Dideriksen rode safely near the front of the peloton as she navigated around the numerous sweeping bends and corners that featured in the 15-kilometre, eight-lap circuit race. A crash before the start of lap three saw Dideriksen distanced from the bunch. “My teammates brought me back to the front,” she noted. “They backed me completely today.”

A seven-rider Dutch train, including Blaak and Van Dijk, took control in the closing kilometres. Dideriksen hopped aboard the orange express en route to her win. “I choose Wild’s wheel,” she said. “I fought pretty hard with the girls for it.”

Wild opened the sprint and would later admit she jumped too soon. Dideriksen came around Wild metres before the line to win the world title by a bike throw. “It’s unbelievable,” Dideriksen said. “I was going for a top ten.”

Just beyond the finish line, defending champion Lizzie Deignan (née Armitstead) was the first to congratulate Dideriksen. The Briton narrowly missed a lessor spot on the podium, sprinting in for fourth place. Dideriksen’s win keeps the rainbow jersey with Boels-Dolmans for a second straight season.

“It’s really special to have the jersey again in the team,” said Boels-Dolmans team manager Danny Stam. “Something like will never feel normal. It’s absolutely the best finish to our best season to win two world titles.”

Dolmans Landscaping Group Director Erwin Janssen echoed Stam’s sentiments: “After such an unforgettable season, this means a lot. It was so cool from our Amalie to win the rainbow jersey. She who dares, wins.”

Tony Martin, winner of his fourth individual world time trial championship. Sirotti photo

The Race: Here's the story from winner Tony Martin's Etixx-Quick Step team.

Tony Martin added another gold medal to the one he won with the team last Sunday.

Rolling down the ramp with bib number four, an omen for what was to come 45 minutes later, Tony Martin was motivated to make the most out of the strong form he showcased four days ago, when he led Etixx – Quick-Step to victory in the team time trial. On the 40km-long course which suited him to a tee, the German put in a monster performance to win the World ITT Championships for the fourth time in his career, following the triumphs of 2011, 2012 and 2013, thus equalling a record which was standing for six years.

Tony blitzed the Doha course, setting the reference time at both checkpoints, before concluding the race in 44:42, a result better than the one posted by 9 of the teams who competed in Sunday's time trial. The 31-year-old put 45 seconds into defending champion Vasil Kiryienka (Belarus), who finished runner-up, and more than a minute into Jonathan Castroviejo, the Spaniard who rounded out the podium. Two other Etixx – Quick-Step riders, Yves Lampaert and Bob Jungels, time trialed their way to a good result on Wednesday afternoon, coming home 7th, respectively 10th.

"After taking the gold medal with the team, to win the rainbow jersey in the individual time trial is just the icing on the cake. I was a bit scared by the heat at first, but having a good preparation here in Qatar helped me cope with it. I rode without any pressure, was focused only on what I had to do, and not on my rivals, and to come out on top is really incredible. I haven't had a great year up until this point, but to win two world titles in the space of just four days makes up for everything", said Tony Martin, now one of the two riders to have four victories at the World ITT Championships.